Memories Come Alive
by trebleclefstories
Summary: Steve has been going through some tough times ever since the fall of SHIELD. But with Natasha, Sam and the rest of the team to help him, things are starting to become better. What happens when they find out that Coulson is alive and that people from Steve's past start to pop up out of nowhere? What happens when Steve finds out that the fading Peggy is not really his Peggy at all?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this idea is one that I have expanded from the lovely MysticFantasy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or idea of this story. **

"Sir, we have affirmed the documents and DNA, it's her, the real one. The other was a clone with disfigured memories. She will awake as though nothing ever happened. That is, if she does wake. Her body has experienced an internal and external freeze that saved her for so long but can also leave her in a coma. We are waiting for the anesthesia to burn off and let her adjust. It's going to be culture shock but all we can do is sit and wait." The young woman replied to man sitting in front of her.

He was a thoughtful man. Wise, and had been exposed to many things in the past year than most people have experienced in their entire lives. He was lucky to be alive. He knew that full well. Things were starting to rebuild themselves when he got the lead. To the world, he was dead. Yet, he was the very one trying to keep it alive. The amount of sleeper agents hiding right under his nose was sickening. However, he kept his calm façade. The emotions were never displayed on his face. He was THE spy. Well, that wasn't true. There was maybe one who could ever beat him at infiltration. It made sense. She was THE spy, THE assassin. She WAS all those things. Still could be. But she was compromised as was he. Emotions had started to slip out of the deep caverns of their hearts even though they refused to let them show. They owed it to a single person. He had shown the both of them that emotions don't make you weaker, they strengthen you and help you get the job done with more enthusiasm. So with that in mind, following this lead was the least he could do.

He had summoned Coulson to help him. He went under the alias Franklin Jack Nickson and was keeping tabs on his loyal agents. They didn't know it. Well, maybe some did. They just didn't know that the person tracking them was him. So when he found Coulson, it wasn't a surprise that the senior agent jumped at the opportunity to provide his assistance. I mean, come on, this was for Captain America. Franklin knew that Coulson would never dream of saying no. Coulson's team had been working diligently to uncover the mystery that was buried under thousands of encrypted files that were poured out onto the internet when SHIELD had fallen. He was quick to discover it before Stark could get his hands on it and spew false information and create false hope for the unsuspecting super soldier. Once he obtained the document, he encrypted it once again onto multiple drives and under various complicated passwords, he destroyed the evidence and removed it from the internet in a way that would take even the most experienced hackers-including Stark- at least 15 years to recover.

The man looked up at the young woman and said, "Well, I guess we must get things ready… Prepare for worst and hope for the best."

The agent nodded her head repeatedly and turned around to the rest of team and made sure that they were aware of the former director's instructions. She worked diligently as the vitals of this legendary person lying on the table were slowly going up and beginning to stabilize. _Only a few more hours. _She thought. She made a silent prayer and hoped with all her heart that it would reach heaven fast enough. The time went on and hours passed but the woman was not bored. The rest of the team was off working on things and performing different tasks while she was stuck babysitting. However, she didn't mind. All she do was sit back and think of the different things that brought them here. After finding the woman in the exact place Howard Stark had said she would be, they rejoiced. It was unclear whether or not she was the real one or not. They looked exactly the same and shared DNA but there was something different. The sequencing in the DNA and RNA would seem identical in the eyes of anyone else, but with the combined experience and extensive knowledge on all things science, they were able to uncover the most minor detail that changed everything. It was astounding at how it took so long to discover it. The woman had lived and been an agent for most of her life and yet the woman had not lived. Her clone had done everything for her. It was saddening to think that such a strong woman would subject herself to such a fate. The technology for that time was surprisingly advanced and the world was so pathetic and dangerous that it was only natural to do such a thing for security reasons. But the young agent could not bring herself to terms as to why this vibrant, brave woman had made the decision to freeze herself and why this was being discovered after so long.

When the team had made it back, night had befallen them. The team had bought books, clothing, obtained files of information, rented movies and documentaries, and had even gotten their hands on some weapons that would beneficial to the sleeping agent once she awoke. Everything was set in place. They all had their facts straight and were prepared for the young woman to put up a fight and try to escape. They had pictures and information about the life of her fading clone. They were very prepared but none of them could ever be ready. As some were getting ready to dive in under the covers others were getting ready to take the night shift and watch for trouble as their fellow teammates slept, the beeping of the heart monitor changed suddenly.

It went out of control and stabilized once again repeatedly and the woman began to breathe more heavily. Coulson looked up with worry and his team steeled themselves for the worst, fearing that the woman was about to die. No one breathed as the "Nickson" walked closer to the bedside of the sleeping woman. Silence filled the room to the point where the only sound was that of the heart monitor returning to normal. The agents let out breaths they didn't even know they had been holding and retreated back to their original positions.

Simmons stood by the table just to be sure of the situation. Right as the young bio-chemist was about to turn away she heard a gasp. There on the table was a wide eyed, beautiful woman stared at the agents and technology in awe and fear.

"Fury, she up." Simmons replied.

He nodded and made his way over to the woman on the table.

"Who are you?" She asked, her accent stunning everyone. "What do you want from me? Where's Howard? Where am I? What year is it? So help me God if you don't answer me with respect I will disable every single one of you."

"Ma'am, my name is Nick Fury. I was the director of SHIELD. I want to help you. Stark died in a car accident quite a few years ago I'm afraid. We are in an abandoned warehouse/shed in the Alps where we found your body. It's the year 2015. Agent Carter, you've been in a strategic coma and hibernation for 65 years."

**A/N: Okay so this is a story that was inspired by the amazing MysticFantasy who has allowed me to expand on the idea of our lovely Agent Peggy Carter coming back to life in the future like how Steve did. ****_It is completed so look it up if you want to read it. It is called the past returns. I advise that you look it up_****! So, because of the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's new show Agent Carter, I'm going to try my hardest to get this story match up with the MCU and still make it original. Now, I know all of my Romanogers fans are probably a little bummed out at a StevexPeggy thing but don't worry, I will definitely surprise you. We will have a large amount of StevexPeggy, Romanogers, and past/maybe present Clintasha. We just have to wait and see which one wins out in the end :)**

**-Trebleclefstories**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I would like to dedicate this chapter to Mclaughlin who urged me to really get writing again. I've been so busy with school I never have time to even write! However summer is quickly approaching which means that I will have time to sit down a write until I can no longer feel my little fingers!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything!**

She looked around the room in wonder, thinking to herself quietly about what the strange man had told her. She hadn't know that ever coming back was possible. After the issue with Leviathan, Howard had come to her saying that he had the solution to all her problems. Without her knowledge, he had cloned her. The new Peggy was just like her, and harbored all the same memories as she did. New Peggy's feelings were pre-programmed and were automatic but didn't affect the actual woman.

_I was actually looking forward to my date with Daniel..._ Peggy thought. _How did I survive all this time? _Peggy looked up to the man who wore opaque glasses even in the dark and voiced her questions, "Has this ever happened before? Are any of them left? Of course other than my cloned self?"

Peggy had asked the few questions that they were all dreading to hear. "Nickson" bowed his head reluctantly, thinking to himself if he should answer her inquiries. He looked over to Coulson and nodded. Agent Coulson came up to the young woman and said, "This has never happened before-the cloning- that is. We have no idea how Stark was able to conduct something that most modern scientists haven't been able to figure out. Cloning has only ever been successful in animals and even then they don't live to their full age. It is completely astounding to see that your clone is still alive and in her 90's. You have family. Children, grandchildren, a single great grandson, and even a grand-niece who used to work for SHIELD, the organization you helped found. Her name is Sharon Carter and is currently working in the CIA. I think you would be very proud. As for your friends, you already know that Howard died a few decades ago, but you barely missed your friend and former roommate Angie. She died last Saturday in her sleep. I will like you to know that she lived a very happy life and was survived by 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. As for the Howling Commandos, only 2 are still living. They are the 2 that you would never expect either,"

Peggy nodded her head as if urging him to continue.

"Miss-Agent Carter, are you sure you really want to know?"

"Of course I want to know," she said. "Do you think I'm mad?"

"Definitely not, however, I think that you will consider us mad once you've heard the rest of this very long, seemingly never-ending, interesting, confusing, and unbelievable story." Coulson replied smoothly.

"I've seen too much to ever be surprised again." she retorted.

Fury smiled, "I bet you ten dollars that I can definitely surprise you."

"Fair deal," the young woman shook hands with himself.

"The only two to have survived are Bucky Barnes and Captain Steve Rogers."

Peggy sat there, her mouth agape, as the world came crashing down upon her. She had so many questions, that only time and patience could answer.

"But... how is this possible? Bucky died over 70 years ago when he fell off of that train, never to be found. And... Steve... Steve crashed into the ice and died... Oh did Howard really find him like he said he would? Or did he die trying?"

Peggy rambled on and on until they were finally able to calm her.

"Agent-"

"It's Peggy sir"

"Right, Peggy..." Fury said, as if tasting the foreign concept of a first name on his tongue. " Four years ago, Captain Rogers was discovered trapped in the ice and completely preserved. I had sent my team down there to retrieve him so that he could be given a proper burial and lay amongst some of his other friends. But when we began defrosting him, we realized that he was still alive. The serum kept the blood coursing throughout his veins as the ice preserved his body and the impact kept him a comatose state. After his discovery, he has become the leader of a new team of superheroes called the Avengers. His new team includes Howard Stark's son Tony, who rides around in a metal suit and goes under the name Iron Man, a man with serious anger issues who when angered turns into a large, green, beast, a demi-god called Thor who just so happens to have a hammer that can only be wielded by those deemed worthy, a master marksman who's preferred weapon is a bow and arrow, and a Russian woman with major trust who is a master spy and assassin and has lived a horrid childhood and helped him take down a compromised SHIELD while fighting off demons from her past. And it just keeps growing. Bucky Barnes had been found by the KGB, the very same people who created Natasha, the only woman on the team, and he became her trainer. He was brainwashed relentlessly until he was given over to Hydra who completely disfigured his memories. That didn't end until last year. Since then, he has remember Steve and even Natasha and has become a very welcome member of the team. The Avengers now includes 2 geniuses, a demi-god, 3 super soldiers, and 2 ex-military marksmen."

Peggy sat there in awe of what she had just heard, "I think I owe you ten bucks now..."

Coulson chuckled lightly, "In our line of work, there are always surprises."

"I can see that," she replied in a daze. "What were you saying about 3 super soldiers? I thought Steve was the only one."

"After Steve went under, the world got a lot crazier as people started to try to recreate the serum. Bucky was injected with Hydra's version while Natasha was injected with the Red Room's version. She lived through the same thing that you saw while on your little trip to Russia with the SSR. However, she was the only girl to survive the serum injections and became the infamous and ruthless Black Widow until she defected about 15 years ago."

"15 years ago? How old is she?"

"Officially, she was born on November 22, 1945 but we changed the year to 1984 making her 30. Still, she looks younger than that. However, Captain America had not been found yet so the idea of a person looking so young begin so old was foreign,"

"When can I see them?" She asked eagerly.

"Very soon, Peggy," Nick said. "Very soon."

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! OK so I really need your help! Who do you want Steve to end up with? Peggy or Natasha? There is gonna be a serious love triangle here and even though I already know who is gonna end up together I want you input because you just might sway my decision to the other direction. Please let me know and tell me what other ships you would like to see. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. I don't own the idea though! The credit goes to the lovely MysticFantasy!**

It was 3:17am and the tower was silent as its residents slept soundly in their beds. There was a figure however, that limped through the elevator doors over towards the large expanse of what Tony Stark called a small living room. It covered the entire floor and had multiple types of chairs, recliners, sofas, bar stools, etc. The lithe figure made its way through the floor expertly avoiding the mess that had been created in her few days of absence. The woman all but crawled to the mini-fridge, taking out a Lean Cuisine, and popping it the microwave. She waddled over to the liquor cabinet and selected a bottle of some of the finest vodka and poured herself a glass while indulging in her less than 5 star meal. After collapsing into one of the recliners, Natasha turned on the television and watched some old reruns of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC. She laughed and shook her head wondering how in the world someone could cry over a stupid wedding dress. She was downing her 4th glass of vodka when someone startled her.

"Rough mission?" The man asked.

Natasha dropped her defensive stance almost instantly, recognizing the voice coming from the darkness. She relaxed and continued stuffing her face with her pathetic excuse for a meal. The large man plopped down next to her curling his legs underneath him. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, content in just sitting near each other. Testing the waters, the man reached over and snatched a cheese ravioli from her plate.

"Hey, go get your own food," she complained while slapping his hand away.

"Well, you never answered my question." He reminded. "Rough mission"

"Eh… it was alright." She shrugged. "I've had worse."

He stared at her for a while. Not taking his eyes off of her person. Even underneath her suit he could see the lacerations that littered her body.

"Steve," she warned, as he took her into his lap.

He examined her twisted ankle and broken wrist, all while taking note of the impressive gunshot wound that she is sporting on her shoulder.

"This is the same place the Buc—I mean, the Winter Soldier—shot you a while ago. " He realized.

"Yeah well, I guess I'm definitely going to be sporting a scar there this time… the last one had almost disappeared." She whined.

"You'll still beautiful in strapless gowns don't worry."

"Oh gosh Rogers, " she chuckled. "You're such a sap."

"It's just part of my charm." He said, while searching around for a first aid kit so that he could patch up her wounds.

They didn't talk about the mission. It wasn't that they couldn't share details for fear of compromising the confidentiality of the mission—they had gotten past the distrust ages ago—it was because they would not. They would not share the information. There was no need to revisit the gruesome realities of the world that they lived in. However, Steve Rogers could not control he insatiable curiosity to know everything about the woman who was sitting beside him. The questions bit at his tongue, anxiously trying to escape into the air and darken the moment.

"Just ask," she said. "I know you have a hundred questions and its killing you not knowing, so, just ask and I'll answer."

He smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I know I'm not very good at hiding my emotions... But what happened? You never get this banged up."

She chortled slightly, "Well, let's just say I underestimated my competition and miscalculated the number of men by about 60."

"What?" He exclaimed.

"The file said that there was 4 main guards, the target and about 20 outer reinforcements. Infiltration was supposed to be easy. When I got there, they had 85 men including the target and the 4 main bodyguards. I killed 11 men, captured the target along with 2 others, avoided 57 men, and left the others unconscious."

The soldier stared at the spy in awe. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Well if I didn't I wouldn't very good at what I do," Said Natasha.

The duo stood watching the television for about another hour until Steve was able to finally coax Natasha into going to bed. They parted ways at the elevator.

"Goodnight," they said in unison.

_Weeks later… _

"Agent Carter," the former director called.

"Yes sir," she answered eagerly.

"So, remind me, how long has it been since we first introduced you to this new century?"

"It's been three months sir," she responded.

"Well, I think it's time we call in some favors and introduce you to some very important people.

Peggy was nervous. She couldn't lie about that. She honestly didn't know if she was ready. How could anyone ever be ready for something like this? Learning so such in so little time with people you barely knew was simply overwhelming. No, she definitely wasn't ready, but she was prepared. As prepared as she could be for something on such a grand scale. Before, things had been easier to distinct right from wrong. In this new society, they seemed to be each other. What was morally right was now seen as a joke and what was seen as a horrid sin in the past was permissible in this future. The black and white lines in the past were just a mixture of grey smudges. Not all things were bad, but there where subjects she definitely did not agree with.

"I'm not lying Tony, it's her. She's as real as you and me." She heard Fury telling the other person, "Tony" over the "cell phone". "The other one was a fake. I have your father's files." There was silence on the line. "I'm telling you. Peggy Carter is standing right next to me as we speak… OK, don't tell him anything, I want it to be a surprise…"

"But…" the rest was muffled.

"I see… this might pose a problem but I'm sure it's nothing they can't handle."

"Well Nick, I think it just might…" Peggy heard. "This is our leader and best agent on the team… I don't think you understand… They've been getting pretty serious Fury, but neither wants to admit their feelings for each other… This could complicate things and you know how I love drama but this is…"

"Don't worry Stark," Fury answered. "If it's real then they are going to have to get through things so much worse than this. This will make or break it. We can't have compromised agents. I just wanted your permission to have her stay at the Tower."

"Well you know how I would do anything for you," she heard the man say, voice dripping in sarcasm.

"I'll be there with Ms. Carter in an hour. Remember to keep your mouth shut. I know how difficult this is going to be for you but just try. Set up a room with appropriate and essential items. If she won't mind, ask Ms. Pots to take her shopping and I know Steve will want to tour her around the city as well."

"Like I said, anything for you." The voice now identified as Stark said.

_Could this be Howard's son? _Peggy thought.

Fury finally turned around and faced her, "Well, pack your bags. We're headed to New York."

Tony rubbed his forehead as he hung up the phone. _Peggy Carter is alive. Aunt Peggy is young and was frozen. She never knew me as Tony. She's not my Aunt Peggy. She doesn't know me. She was cloned… This is Steve's Peggy. Steve and Natasha like in each other a lot. They are more than partners, more than friends. They're falling in love with more and more every day. They're just too stupid to admit it. Peggy is… she's mess this all up. If Capsicle breaks Natashalie's heart I'll break him. _

"Tony, do you want to go out for lunch now?" a strawberry blonde woman called breaking him out of his reverie.

"Actually Pep, we have some company coming over who and they are going to be living here for a while." He said.

"Company, who is it?" Pepper asked eagerly.

"Can't say but, looks like she might become a new member of the team."

"She? Another woman?" Pepper exclaimed.

"Yes and she's not from around here. So, I was wondering that once we introduce her to the team, that you can help get her settled and then maybe take her out along with maybe Capsicle and do some clothes shopping and touring of the city."

"Steve? Why would he be coming along?"

"Because… he knows what it's like to be new around here and how to cope with the realization that the world you knew was gone. We can even have Barnes and Natasha tag along too. They know what that's like," Tony answered.

"Alright, but who is it."

"Guess you'll have to just wait and see."

"How about we go laser tagging? It's a compromise." Clint suggested.

"No, we did that last time." Sam said. "We should go bowling."

"That's so boring what are we ninety?" Clint retorted.

"Well yes, some of us are." Bucky muttered.

Steve and Natasha snickered from where they were sitting on the couch. They had been at it for hours, trying to figure out where to go for their weekly team bonding session. It seemed to happen every time. There would always be a dispute about where to go.

"How about paint-balling?" Natasha asked.

"No! You'll kill us all, it's not a fair fight." Clint complained.

"Come on, you're a master marksman with a wife and three children. And you don't think you can beat our resident spy in a friendly game of paintball?" Steve teased.

"With Natasha we all know that game will be anything but friendly." Bruce countered.

"Touché," Steve said.

"How about we don't go anywhere?" Tony walked into the room with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Tony it's team bonding day, we always do something together." Thor said.

"Oh, I know, but we have something important to do today."

"Like…" Natasha pushed.

"We are about to meet a new member of the team per our beloved former director Nicolas J. Fury. Well I don't know if they'll be ready to be a part of the team so suddenly because adjusting takes a while."

"What do you mean adjusting?" Bucky asked.

"Let's just say, she's not from around here." Tony replied.

"That could mean anything Stark," Natasha said. "But you said she, it's a woman."

"Yes, she is very special. No powers but she isn't from around here and I already asked Pepper to help her get settled but I think that it would be extremely beneficial if you, Steve were to help her adjust."

"Of course Tony," Steve nodded.

"I could help as well," Thor added. "And what about James? I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping."

"I'll help if Natasha helps," Bucky challenged.

"Help this woman adjust to change just to see James Buchanan Barnes help too, I'm in."

"Okay, so it's settled." Steve said. "The four of us know what it's like to adjust to new surroundings, time periods, worlds, lives, etc. We definitely know how to deal with change."

They nodded in agreement. The team chatted for a little while longer until Jarvis alerted them by someone's presence. "Sir, a man under the name 'Nickson' is here to see you."

The group chuckled knowingly, "Let him in, J."

Peggy was nervous again. Fury stood in front of her as the elevator rose up to the 97th floor. The doors parted and she took a deep breath and bowed her head down. Fury walked out as she stood in the doorway, feeling many sets of eyes on her. She looked down at her attire and smoothed her navy trousers and played with the ruffles on her light blue blouse.

"Nick, it's good to see you." She heard Steve say.

"Captain Rogers, it's nice to see you as well." The director shook hands with the captain. "I have a new addition to your team. You know her very well actually."

"I do?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes and so does Sgt. Barnes and Mr. Stark over here."

Steve's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked over to Bucky and Tony. Bucky shrugged and Tony looked nervous. His eyes averted to Natasha who was sitting at his right against his side. She was studying the woman intensely.

"Stop, you'll scare her. I'm pretty sure that's why her head is still down." He whispered in her ear.

Natasha's lips quirked up into a smile, "I can't help it. It's what I do."

"Well can you introduce us to this new lovely lady?" Bucky jumped up from his seat.

"Of course," Fury answered. "I would like to introduce to you Agent Peggy Carter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long but I had one of the worst cases of writers block. I couldn't decide how I wanted this chapter to end and I finally was able to finish it. I've started writing chapter 5 already and I know how the story is ultimately going to end but I need a lot of help! When you're done reading this chapter could you pretty please give me an idea on what you guys want to see happen in the story? I want to thank everyone who left me reviews on who they shipped together because I have a consensus on who will end up with Steve. **

* * *

Steve's head snapped up. The team was slacked jawed.

"Nick this better not be some sick joke." Natasha glared menacingly at the former director.

Peggy saw a beautiful young lady in his arms. She glared at the red haired woman. Then there was an African-American man with his mouth open. Another man, about forty years old with an arrow in his fingers blinked rapidly. There was a man dressed in a lab coat with glasses on and with an amazed expression on his face. A man that looked like a carbon copy of Howard Stark stood there with a scared look on his face. That had to be Tony. Then a massive man with long blonde hair stood next to Tony looking quite confused. A strawberry blonde woman stood next to him with eyes wide open. Then there was Bucky, standing with his eyes wide and mouth opened. "Bucky, close your mouth, it'll make you look smarter."

"Peggy?" Steve asked in wonder while getting up from the couch. "It's really you?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes Steve, it's really me."

He walked up to her and laughed, embracing her in an enormous hug. She sighed and breathed in his scent. They stood there for a little while until Steve finally let go but keeping her at arm's length.

"What—how?" he asked.

"It's a long story," she replied. "But I thought you were dead."

"We can talk about it later. Right now we need to get you settled." Tony interrupted.

"Of course," Peggy smiled. "You must be Tony."

"Yes I am,"

"I figured, you look just like Howard."

"I get that a lot," Tony said. "It's nice to see you Aunt Peg."

Peggy's eyes widen, "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, that's what I used to call you…" he trailed off.

Peggy smiled, "It's alright."

"Peggy?" she heard her name said .

She was greeted by a warm embrace from Bucky. He held her tightly and smiled greatly. He led her over to the team and started to introduce them.

Peggy shook hands with everyone and exchanged warm smiles and greetings to this new group. When she got to Natasha, she tensed. _This was the woman that Steve looked very comfortable with._

"Agent Carter, it's nice to meet you," Natasha greeted, face stoic. "I've heard quite a lot about you."

"As have I," she replied. "I've heard about your work and some of your past. It's quite fascinating. After everything, you still managed to be Fury's star pupil. And please, call me Peggy."

"Yes, I have a lot of red in my ledger and I'm always trying to wipe it out. Call me Natasha, there's no need for formalities."

The two women stared at each other for a while before Tony decided to interfere.

"How about we show you to your room Peggy?"

* * *

Natasha breathed out in a sigh of as the team began to disperse from the communal area. She stood up rigid, staring out the window at the city trying to process everything that had just happened in the last half hour. Aliens from different realms, brainwashed best friends, whole organizations hibernating within other organizations, people dying and coming back to life, super heroes from the 1940s being frozen and woken up in present day, a man creating the flying suit of armor in a cave, a man turning into a angry, green rage monster, Clint Barton getting married and having children, and hell even herself falling in love she could believe. So she didn't know why it was so hard to process that Steve's first love had been cloned, frozen, and kept in an ice box for 60 years while her clone lived the life that she was supposed to have. Maybe it was because cloning humans was theoretically possible but medically impossible in present time. Maybe it was because freaking Howard Stark had accomplished it in the late 1940s. She didn't know why she was surprised. No idea really. The spy had seen enough in her life to think that nothing could ever surprise her again. She was always prepared but this time, that didn't seem to be the case. Just when life seemed to be getting better, the big man up in the sky decided to throw yet another hurdle at her. As Natasha contemplated the possibility of it being a consequence for one of her many crimes, she felt a presence behind her.

"You know, for someone who's an expert at creating covers and putting on masks and playing multiple characters, you really suck at hiding your 'secret' relationship"

"What if I wasn't trying to hide it?" she replied.

"So you're admitting it, you have a thing with Steve."

There was a strange gap of silence between the assassins. "Yes we had something."

"You said 'had' as if what you two _have _is something of the past." The archer noted.

"Well after this, it definitely could be."

"Come on, Nat. You don't really think that he would just leave you like that for this woman. Yeah she's beautiful and seems pretty bad-ass but I think you are so much cooler."

"Oh shut up Clint, you're completely biased."

"No I'm not," he argued. "Siblings are always trying to make the other ones feel inferior. Trust me; they never say nice things unless they truly mean it. You're like my sister, and you know I don't go handing out compliments unless I really mean it."

Natasha's lips quirked up into what could be called a half smile, "I'm just having trouble processing things right now."

"Really, Romanoff," the archer scoffed. "We've seen so much shit go down recently that Cap's old flame arriving here in her young and youthful state should be the least surprising thing."

She sighed, "You know, sometimes I wish I had Laura here instead of you."

"That hurt," Clint whined half-jokingly. "I've known you for what, ten, twelve years now?"

"Eleven," Natasha corrected.

"Whatever, a long time." He waved flippantly. "I've never known you to give up anything you've ever want. When you find it, you spin your web around it tightly and use your stubbornness to make sure you never let it go. But I also know that you will do whatever it takes to do the right thing. Sometimes what you want and what's right go together. At others, they could be on completely opposite sides of the spectrum. Still, I know that what you want more than anything in the world is to make things right. Just make sure that when you make that decision, keep in mind what's right for you too. It's okay to be selfish with love."

* * *

Steve sat down on his bed after accompanying Pepper and Tony for Peggy's grand tour of the tower. There was no way this could be possible. He had seen Peggy in the nursing home just last week. She was alive but fading fast. But how could this surprise him? The definition between what was reality and what was fiction had become nonexistent at this point. _Peggy is here. She's young. She's my Peggy from the past. She had been frozen for years like I was. She's real. This isn't a dream. _And that was the most difficult part to digest. This wasn't a dream. But it wasn't real life either. Things like these did not happen in real life. This was not a fantasy. This had become a nightmare.

It seemed irrational that having Peggy was a nightmare but it was. He was afraid. Afraid of losing her again. Afraid of waking up to world where she doesn't exist. But it wasn't just the fear of not having her that was tormenting him. It was the fear of having her. It was the fear of her destroying everything he worked so hard for. But it wasn't just Peggy he was afraid of. He was afraid of Natasha. No, he was afraid _for_ Natasha. They'd been getting so close. They'd been dating in secret for about 4 months now. _What are we kidding, everyone probably knows._ He had finally found solace in his life. He was healing. She was healing. They were growing and falling for each other more and more after every bit of time that they spent together. And he wasn't going to hurt her. He was confused and would not throw everything away just because Peggy had marched into his life. Sure, he still loved her. Peggy was his first love. But, did he love Natasha? Of course he did. He had loved her long before the night after a long mission when they decided to stop dancing around each other and stop ignoring their feelings for each other. _But who am I willing to lose? _

Seconds later, he was snapped out of his reverie by a velvety voice. "It's ok,"

"Natasha," he whispered

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his midsection. "I know how much you love her. I know that you thought she was gone and you chose me to be your second best and that's okay. I've always known that you'd never love me as much as you love her. I always knew I would have to compete with her, but I only thought I had to compete with her memory. Yeah she gave me her blessing that day but it wasn't even her. I can't use that as permission to be with you. You still belong to her. She never gave you up, Steve. Peggy is beautiful, radiant, and good. She is so much better than me. That's who you need Steve. That's who you deserve. And if seeing you happy means that I can't be with you, so be it. Just know that you are the only man I really ever loved."

Steve stood there awestruck. She said loved. Her words were so endearing and so selfless and he had no idea how he could've ever thought to leave her. "Nat, I'm not leaving you."

"What?"

"Yes Peggy is here but, I can't just throw away everything we have."

"And I won't let you throw away your life to be with me when the perfect girl, your right partner, is standing a few floors above us." She replied. "Take her on a date. Go dancing. You know how now."

He stared into her eyes for a long time, gaze unwavering. _She's not kidding_. They stood straight, neither backing down on their preposition.

"Peggy is your best girl. You only don't want to leave me because you don't want to feel guilty. But I insist, I can't let you give up this opportunity. Peggy is a hundred times better than I am. She's England and you're America. The perfect allies. You complement each other. She grounds you, Steve. She can give you happiness, love, hope. She can tie you to your past. She can understand you in ways that I won't ever be able to understand you. You need her Steve. She holds a place in your heart that I can never capture." Natasha squeezed his hand as she walked away, eyes filled with unshed tears. "If you can't hear me out then let's compromise. We'll be together but it'll be an open relationship. That way you can see if you'll end up choosing Peggy or me. And that way, I can begin preparing myself to move on if necessary."

Steve stood in place, shocked at her words. "But, Tasha, you're my girlfriend, and I know you hate titles but that is the simple truth. I would be a very good boyfriend if I took another gal out on a date, no matter if my girlfriend gave me permission to. This isn't a game."

"Exactly Steve," she said. "That's why I want you to have the ability to make that choice. Just take her dancing, that's all I'm asking. You never got to experience what we have with Peggy. Yeah, I don't wanna lose you but, what if you're making a huge mistake? What if I'm not the right partner? You'll never know if you don't give yourself the chance to find out."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

* * *

**What do you wanna see happen next? Drama? Action? Romance?** **Friendship? **


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